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How did it work out?

I'm working on a VN right now with a detective and his footman at a royal palace and we split between the perspectives of the two. This works into the story because the detective has keen powers of perception and can interpret evidence and interviews one way, while the footman has a history at the p...

If you're simply starting the first draft, my advice would be to write from whatever perspective feels natural. Once you have a completed first draft, you can change perspective without simultaneously trying to compose the narrative, and it will probably feel much easier. Third person vs first perso...

Thanks, everyone, for the feedback. After mulling it over a little more, I think the judge in question is a good candidate for a messiah complex. He became emotionally invested in a case early in his career and lost his impartiality and issued a harmful ruling. Since then he has been very strict abo...

I'd argue that even if this is true in the tellings of his story, almost certainly this was not the way the character was in truth. No real person begins their career fully self-actualized (even if they later make it seem that way). We all have some stumblings. It's part of being human. Certainly t...

A protagonist being non ambiguous is not a problem. If anything non ambiguity allows the reader to self insert more. Why would you think otherwise? I'm not sure what you mean by non ambiguity. It's the ambiguity of his motives I'm attempting to resolve. If a character's motives are not defined, it'...

I've encountered an unexpected problem while drafting a story based on real law enforcement officials from Medieval China and it has me thinking I should switch protagonists. The story is about a judge who embodies the ideals of impartiality and fairness, and a police official who stops at nothing t...

As a writer, I'm more plot-oriented than world-oriented, so I may not have the best perspective. But I agree with Lochana that the primary goal should be to finish the first draft of the story, then use that as a foundation, if only because you don't now what's missing until you know what's already ...

I tried \n and got an infinite loop.

Is this method for a line break still viable? I noticed this post is 15 years old and the engine may have been updated.

That was fantastic. Strong emotional core, steady buildup of tension and an intense moment of release. The layers you describe work great and show a strong understanding of your protagonist. Good job. As far as how to articulate the crying, I'd love to see what it is like for the sprite of Sophie to...

It's a bit jarring to go from coroner to gang-buster. You could logically link them together, but the difference in style and overtones creates too much dissonance. It might be compelling if a fellow coroner was to blame to the discrepancies, which creates a personal motivation for the main characte...

It's definitely used by lazy writers for a shocking plot twist, but it's also a foundational plot point in Dune and part of Paul's struggle is understanding whether or not the dream he just experienced is fated to become reality. So it cuts both ways.

That's a pretty clear summary. I liked the many examples you shared. In my experience with Campbell's theories, I have found them less useful as an outline tool and more useful as a revising tool, retrofitting the plot to Campbell's structure once I have all the elements from a completed first draft...

I usually focus on anything that takes me out of the story, like dialogue that feels forced, repetitive story beats, exposition dumps, or plot developments that amount to low-hanging fruit. I usually can't do this effectively without a break between drafts, typically a few weeks or months. My most c...

What's the context around the crying scene? If it just suddenly happens, that may be why it feels flat. If there's a reason it would be unexpected or unfortunate, that could have more of an emotional impact on the player. This could be accomplished by adding plot indicators that the character is usu...